British troops defying Facebook 'ban'

"The fun police have taken over," says one squaddie

Members of the British Army are angry about a new legislation, which could see soldiers barred from using social-networking sites.

The Sun is reporting that troops working abroad who write about their exploits on websites like Facebook and MySpace may be breaching the army's "public disclosure of information" act.

It all stems from a new order, which was leaked to the paper this month. Titled 'Contact With The Media and Communicating In Public', the guidelines clamp down on the use of public websites, in regards to sensitive information being posted.

Refreshed and re-issued

While the new communications ruling doesn't explicitly ban soldiers from using Facebook and the like, soldiers are showing their anger, with one NCO saying to The Sun: "The fun police have taken over. I can't talk to my wife and kids or even play Call of Duty 5. Do they really think we're going to give away secrets?"

A spokesperson for the MOD told the paper: "Of course soldiers are allowed to go on Facebook and contribute to blogs.

"But we need to ensure sensitive information is not inadvertently placed in the public domain. A routine instruction has merely been refreshed and reissued."